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Thursday, May 31, 2012

It's not hard to notice from my recent archives that i have been visiting the cemeteries quite often (still have two outstanding posts in the works).

And my recent meetup with my cousin eventually veered into the topic of ghost stories. She shared an interesting book penned by a member of top ghost-buster in Singapore; Singapore Paranormal Investigators (SPI).

Therefore, please excuse this short post - time to read a book and physically flip through the pages!

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Just when i thought pork satay in Singapore has reached its zenith, i am glad to have finally found the exact location of this satay stall i have heard so much about in newspapers, blogs and food forums.

Kwong Satay supposedly served the best satay in this small yet crowded island. And its venue is precisely at the same coffee shop that i had the not-worth-the-queue hokkien mee; Sing Lian Eating House.

The typical pork satay would have been the only order if not for the catchy declaration of irresistible premium pork belly satay at the counter. Given our love for fatty products, we decided on ten sticks of typical pork satay and the minimal five sticks of pork belly premium satay.

Let's began with the "premium" satay.

As i slowly chewed through the stick, the flow of delectable meat juice overwhelmed my taste buds and i was momentarily stunned! That was one of the rare moments when mere words, no matter how bombastic, just could not fully describe the meat's softness, tenderness and convey the exciting joy i felt.

Without a single doubt; that is definitely the best stick of satay i ever have in my whole life even though there is a much higher risk of clogging up my arteries!

Coming to the "normal" pork satay - it was more lean, definitely less flavourful and the taste was more similar to most of the pork satays i had elsewhere. Good yet not entirely different from other stalls.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

My family doctor was of the professional opinion i should be referred to an orthopaedic specialist in my recent review. He strongly felt that six months are sufficient evidence to confirm that drugs (whether induced or topical) are no longer able to help me alleviate the wrist pain.

And here i am today; Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH).

Although KTPH has been in operation at Yishun for the past two years, today is the first time i am actually using the facilities! Not that i hope to visit it very often.....

Compared to other public and even private hospitals, I was impressed with KTPH focus on its major stakeholders; patients like me. The environment was very comfortable and there were little pockets of tender loving care like porcelain cups to hold the 3-in-1 coffee.

There's even a self operated blood pressure measuring machine (my BP was thankfully in the normal range)! Of course i like the provision of all the above but as a citizen who is facing increasingly high medical bills, i wonder if they are really necessary.

Damn, i have digressed too much from the topic!

Dr Vaikunthan, Senior Consultant for Hand and Reconstructive Microsurgery, is the specialist assigned to my case. It took him only one glance at the still-slightly-inflammed wrist and some questions before he dropped the bomb on me.

A surgery is unavoidable - it has been a good six months, there is a consistent clicking sound whenever i attempted to stretch my thumb and steroid injection would only temporarily arrest the pain. According to the doctor, it would be a simple day surgery under local anaesthesia (LA).

Frustration of being unable to fully utilise my left wrist eventually made the decision for me; I have signed the consent form for an operation scheduled in mid-June.

Monday, May 28, 2012

Just when i thought i have covered most of the food stalls in the infamous red light district of Geylang, the sight of this long queue in a coffee shop elicited a touch of surprise.

This is what i called fate - i had been driving in circles in order to find an empty parking lot and every single time my car passed by the coffee shop, our curiousity deepened.

Necessity requires us to check out the queue! The source came from this Hokkien Mee stall with a name i have never heard before; Swee Guan (in Chinese, it means the source of water; could be the owner's name).

At an exorbitant price tag of S$8 in a non-airconditioned setting, the strong aroma of heavily fried hokkien mee (and significantly bigger prawns) helped to discount the grudgingly high price and i was actually expecting to experience an epic moment of this common Singapore dish.

Wrong! This is the moment when I cannot fathom the reason(s) for such popularity!

Don't get me wrong; the wok hei was easily one of the heaviest i ever have for Hokkien Mee (they use charcoal, not gas!). The issue i had was the quick aftertaste; the unpalatable chao tar (burnt) twang.

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Buffalo wings lovers would be pleased to know that there is another eatery offering the challenge of crazily spicy buffalo wings since the demise of Sunset Grill and Bar.

Instead of the common levels, the gauge on spiciness is now based on the more accurate degree Celsius; from a gentle 50 to an insane 10,000°C (according to the menu)!

This place is Careshop de Cafe; despite the name, it is a cafe that sells more than just Japanese, Western, pastas and local food. I understand there are health products for sale and a seminar room that you can rent to hold events like birthday parties.

We were focused on what we want. Food.

S-Class Detox Juice

Plum juice with a touch of lemonade, i assumed this would be helpful to clear my body of the accumulated junk! As with most things that are healthy, it had a yucky, powdery taste.

Spicy Grilled Fish Rice

Just the look of this dish was enough to elicit a disappointing expression from us. Nothing much can be said about the plain rice and fried egg but there are two words to describe the fish; spicy hot!

Pan Seared Dory Fish

Thank goodness this looked much more appetising. The mash potato was simply palatable, the pan seared dory was tender and fresh and all of us agreed that the buttery garlic sauce was a freaking nice condiment!

Spicy Salmon Ramen (Dry)

I have eaten different types of ramen in Singapore but this is the first time i came across dry ramen without any soup! Again, i personally would have given a probational pass for its presentation.

Forget about the spicy salmon (honestly, i didn't manage to steal a bite)! The noodles are the star; soaked in a marvelous concoction of sauces that immediately reminded me of the mee goreng in Indonesia, they tasted absolutely wonderful on its own!

Bendeemer Buffalo Wings

These CDC signature buffalo wings don't come cheap and it can cost as much as S$10 for one buffalo wing! Well, never try never know and it could bloody well be worth the price.

Apart from appearing to be spicy hot, these 50°C BB-wings were nothing like the spiciness i expected. They were so mild; Hot and Crispy fried chicken from KFC may likely be hotter.

However, i confessed that after eating buffalo wings from quite a number of places in Singapore, the ones in CDC tasted the best so far! Steaming white chicken meat, thin layer of fats with a light crisp and a savoury addictive marination that was so yummilicious!

Friday, May 25, 2012

I am not an expert when it comes to snorkeling but the two full days of experience at Krabi had taught me that certain items are necessary to make the underwater expedition more fun.

The following list shall serve as a reminder and also as a point of reference whenever i feel like swimming with the oceanic creatures again. Honestly, the marvelous time i spent in Krabi is greatly missed even though it was more than half a year ago!

Miscellaneous

Let's begin with the basic stuff; swimsuit, sunscreen lotion (recommended spray on) with a high level of SPF and UVA, a bath towel (smuggle it out from the hotel and ensure you don't lose it) to dry yourself and keep you warm on the boat, and a clean set of clothing should you be a clean freak.

Contact Lens

Don't let spectacles hinder the snorkeling adventure! The snorkel mask would not be able to accommodate your spectacles and what's the point of going into the water when shortsightedness deters you from looking beyond a few meters! Get the daily contact lens if you are prone to eye infection like myself.

Crocs Shoes with Strap

Despite the ugly tag bestowed by fashionistas, these infamous foam clogs are a "must-bring" for snorkeling! Alex wore Crocs for the entire Krabi trip and i was so envious; no matter how strong the current, his thick-soled Crocs remained strapped to his feet and even if he accidentally removed them while snorkeling, his Crocs will never sink into the water.

Snorkel Mask Set

You can put on your branded swimming goggles although the snorkel mask provides a better fit and the usual addition of a purge valve (the water spout) allows me to stay under the water for a longer period of time.

Life Jacket

Some of us hate the naked feeling of being in the water and stepping on nothing! Trust me; that feeling can be quite scary, especially when you have been exposed to the movies "Jaws" or "鬼拉脚 " in your childhood.

Oh, life jackets would be damn helpful if you are a weak and/or lazy swimmer.

Waterproof Bag

Hallo, you are surrounded by water and water splashes are almost inevitable! Invest in a waterproof bag like the above that can be found in most shops in Krabi (not sure if they are available elsewhere) and came in many sizes to suit your needs. My needs are simple; to keep my wallet, iPhone and DSLR safe.

Underwater Camera

Trigger-happy folks should not hold themselves back from buying an underwater camera! Nothing beats taking memorable pictures of the exceptionally beautiful underwater world. *i purchased the above Olympus underwater camera recently for less than S$200!*

Waterproof Pouch

For your valuables like wallet or even mobile phones!

Thanks to it, I managed to take underwater pictures using my iPhone even though the quality is generally pretty sucky. The use of touchscreen also makes it extremely difficult to focus and shoot.

Loaf of Bread

Can you imagine the enjoyment of having hundreds of fishes surrounding you as if you are king of the ocean?

That's only attainable when you have a piece of bread in your hand. Therefore, buy a loaf (or loaves) of bread before you start your amazing journey!

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Singapore residents adore chicken and the many branches of Kentucky Fried Chicken (otherwise known as the acronym KFC) are just not enough to satisfy their growing appetite.

That explains the popularity of new entrants like Popeyes, Texas Chicken, 4Fingers and the topic of today's post; Broaster Chicken.

Broaster Chicken - an interesting name for a company if you ask me. It sounds a bit like roast chicken and yet it does not fully explain the letter B in front.

Shall spare you the agony of thinking; Broaster Chicken invented a trademark cooking method known as broasting which is essentially pressure frying and includes a special marinating process.

The eventual result of this patented cooking method is fried chicken that is crunchy yet less oily than fried chicken that uses conventional frying! Not that it matters much to me since it's the taste that is really more important.

My family had no idea what to order and we took the easiest way out; Mega Family Pack at S$29.90 that has 8 pieces of Broaster chicken, 6 pieces of Chicken Tenders, typical sides and soft drinks.

To ensure that the whole chicken is used, it was specifically mentioned on the menu you would receive 2 wings, 2 breasts, 2 thighs and 2 drums. It seems like negotiation for other bird parts would be a difficult chore.

We managed to top up some of the sides to include steamed corn kernels and tater tots (which are actually addictive bite size potato hash brown).

Fresh from broasting, these piping hot Chicken Tenders were as tender as they proclaim to be despite the unappealing look. Frankly, i have never expected fast food lean chicken meat to have such soft texture.

Now on the golden delights.

The first thing that went straight into my mouth was the layer of fried chicken skin; the crispy crunchiness was terribly memorable although i still prefer the more seasoning taste from Arnolds Chicken or even KFC.

Broasting did manage to lock in the moisture of the chicken meat without turning it into a sponge filled with mouth smudging cooking oil (definitely healthier). As with the skin, i thought the marination was way too normal and skewed more towards saltiness.